Thierry Henry made his managerial debut at Stade de la Meinau on Saturday.
Photograph: Vincent Kessler/Reuters

Thierry Henry went into his first match as Monaco manager missing his two best goalkeepers, three of his four best central defenders, and attacking midfielder Rony Lopes, their second top scorer last season. It should also be remembered that Henry was taking the second-bottom team in the division to the Stade de la Meinau to face a Strasbourg side whose attack have been in sparkling form recently. It was no great surprise then that Thierry Laurey’s well-organised side won 2-1, yet Henry’s first game in charge provided much food for thought about his managerial future.

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Henry’s tactical decisions were a bit surprising. Despite knowing that Strasbourg play very wide – with the excellent Kenny Lala and Lionel Carole driving the attack – Henry played Stevan Jovetic and Falcao in attack in what functioned as a 4-3-1-2, with Nacer Chadli playing narrowly and deeper than usual. If this tactic was not a lack of respect for his opponents, Henry showed at least a poor understanding of what has made Strasbourg so successful of late. With Chadli and Jean-Eudes Aholou playing narrowly, Monaco were unbalanced in attack, given the difference in attacking drive shown by Djibril Sidibé and Benjamin Henrichs.

Sidibé is known for his willingness to get forward and he was more than eager to make his mark in attack, even if he rarely succeeded. The young German on the other flank did his best to take his cues from Sidibé, but he was far less effective. Without orthodox wingers to cover their runs, both players struggled to attack with much confidence.

With Monaco’s defence not at full strength, Henry may have thought that his attack-minded full-backs would have pinned back Carole and Lala and stopped the hosts from playing on the counter. He might also have been trying to bring back the positivity that had been integral to Monaco’s success two seasons ago. Henrichs is no Benjamin Mendy, though, and it was clear from the outset that Monaco would struggle playing this way.

When pressed on this tactical choice after the match, Henry reacted sharply, saying: “Where were the midfielders? They were behind them [the full-backs]. The balance was there. It’s necessary to go forward to win and there were often five players behind the ball. The three midfielders stayed in position. I don’t think that’s where the match was won and lost.”

To be fair to Henry, he is correct on that last point. Goalkeeper Seydou Sy – who had been picked due to injuries to both Diego Benaglio and Danijel Subasic – made a colossal blunder for the opening goal. It wasn’t the last time his handling was poor on the night, but why did Henry not go with Loic Badiashile, who had been vital in goal when Monaco beat Fenerbahce in a Champions League play-off two seasons ago? On the other hand, Strasbourg goalkeeper Matz Sels was in stellar form on Saturday evening and the hosts also cleared two shots off the line. Football is a sport of fine margins and Henry experienced the negative side of that.

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Bad luck and muddled tactics didn’t help Henry’s case, but there were some positives. With three centre-backs missing – Jemerson and Andrea Raggi to suspensions and Kévin N’Doram to injury – Henry had the unenviable task of partnering Kamil Glik with Almamy Touré in defence. The big Malian developed as a centre-back while working his way up through the Monaco academy but was then converted to a right-back by Leonardo Jardim. The signings of Glik and Jemerson have limited his opportunities to play in his preferred position but he was given his chance against Strasbourg. He didn’t have an incredible match but he did show good anticipation and a surprisingly superb range of passing. He was also well beaten for Lebo Mothiba’s goal late on, but there was more than enough to suggest Touré deserves more chances to play centrally – especially with Jemerson seemingly shorn of confidence of late.

Moussa Sylla also impressed after coming on for Radamel Falcao and there is something of the club’s manager (or Kylian Mbappé) in the young striker, who was consistently a livewire, all pace and power. Henry’s willingness – albeit with his hand being forced – to try a more positive approach and place more trust in his young players is something to be lauded.

As his understanding of his young squad and the other teams in Ligue 1 grows, there is real potential for improvement, provided he can foster a positive attitude. Negativity seemed to have permeated the club before Jardim’s departure, so improving the spirit in the squad would be an important step in the right direction. Henry will need to develop some aspects of his managerial acumen to truly succeed, but for an initial test in a difficult environment (Lyon and PSG both lost in Strasbourg last season), he showed enough to give hope for the future – something that was desperately needed in Monaco.

Ligue 1 talking points

• We were robbed of his mesmerising displays during his exile at PSG, but now Hatem Ben Arfa is back. Regaining his sharpness has taken time but the 31-year-old put on a dominant display for Rennes in their 1-1 draw at St Étienne. Gracefully slipping past defenders and surging between centre-backs, one run winning a second-half penalty – the former Newcastle man showed signs of regaining the unplayable form that helped Nice to fourth under Claude Puel three years ago. Some rustiness remains, however, (he missed that penalty), but with the pace of partner Ismaila Sarr alongside the guile of Clement Grénier and Benjamin Bourigeaud, Ben Arfa and Rennes could quickly become Ligue 1’s most captivating team.

• While Dimitri Payet and Florian Thauvin draw much of the attention at Marseille, the rise of technically gifted midfielder Morgan Sanson has gone a little unnoticed. Ligue 1’s leading assister two seasons ago (12) having joined from Montpellier in January of 2017, Sanson’s influence at the Vélodrome fluctuated as the squad evolved. Although his use of the ball and interplay in midfield were often superb, the Frenchman was often easily outmuscled and bullied out games. This season, however, he has returned much broader and bulky. This newfound physicality has helped Sanson impose himself in midfield battles and produce the best form of his career. After a smart turn and finish to win the Côte d’Azur meeting with Nice on Sunday night, renewed links with Manchester United are not far away.

• Coming into the weekend, Nantes were in turmoil. Miguel Cardoso had been sacked with his side second bottom and the Vahid Halilhodzic era opened with a chaotic 3-0 loss at Bordeaux before the break. Fan ire focused on president Waldemar Kita as fans held a silent protest for the first 11 minutes of their match against Toulouse on Saturday evening. Their banner read: “11 minutes silence for 11 years of incompetence.” Their silence, however, was short-lived as Nantes produced a devastating display in routing a promising Toulouse side 4-0. The bulky yet effective Argentinian striker Emiliano Sala scored a hat-trick. With Ligue 1 so tightly packed behind PSG, Nantes could yet catapult towards Europe.